Sorry, Madame May - Macron will block a lengthy Brexit extension

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There are many in France who believe Brexit is hurting the rest of their ordered plans for the EU.

There are many reasons why France will veto a long extension to Brexit next week if, as expected, Theresa May doesn’t manage to pass her deal on the third (or hundredth, as it often feels) attempt.

The obvious one is that Emmanuel Macron believes an extension will only lead to more of the same Westminster omnishambles. Allowing the extension to run after May 22 means Britain would need to hold European elections.

Forget the complete mess this would cause in the UK. Forget the obvious question of what happens with the former UK MEP seats that have already been apportioned to other nations’ contingents now running for election. It’s the performance of his own embattled La République En Marche (LREM)...